Review: The Legend of Xiao Chou (2020), Starring Tiffany Tang and Shawn Dou

The Legend of Xiao Chou is a 2020 costume historical Chinese drama starring Tiffany Tang or Tang Yan in the title role with Shawn Dou as the main male lead, and directed by Jeffrey Chiang (director of the Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Longest Promise). 

Watch this drama for free on the WeTV app, follow this link: The Legend of Xiao Chou

This was the last costume drama done by Tang Yan before she filmed A Moment But Forever (currently in pre-production) with Liu Xueyi. She was best known for her leading role in The Princess Wei Young (2016). This drama was also her comeback acting project after giving birth to her first child with Luo Jin (her co-star in The Princess Wei Young) in 2019.

Tang Yan as Xiao Yanyan

The Legend of Xiao Chou is based on the life of the historical figure, Empress Xiao Yanyan, also known by her Chinese name, Xiao Chou, a legendary Khitan empress.  

Xiao Yanyan married Emperor Jingzong of Liao, a Khitan-led dynasty in ancient China whose rulers belonged to the House of Yelü. 

This nomadic tribal royalty traced its roots from Northeastern Asia and inhabited the areas corresponding to present-day Mongolia, Inner Mongolia (an autonomous region in North China), Northeast China, and the Russian Far East (part of Siberia).

Xiao Yanyan acted as regent, known as Empress Dowager Chengtian, during the minority of her son, Emperor Shengzong when Emperor Jingzong died unexpectedly. She also commanded the Khitan forces to victory during the two invasions of the Song dynasty in the 11th century. 

Shawn Dou and Tang Yan

Yanyan who became known as Empress Dowager Chengtian during the reign of her son, Emperor Shengzong, was briefly mentioned in the currently airing Korean historical epic costume drama, Goryeo-Khitan War.

The Khitan

Historically speaking, the Khitan people lived in the grasslands, particularly in the prairie or in the steppe because their main source of living was trading livestock and herds. 

Their lifestyle was similar to the Khaganate tribe - the Khans and the House of Ashina (Ashile tribe in The Long Ballad (2021 C-Drama).

Khitan tents in the prairie

Khitan tents in the prairie

They were called "nomadic" because they didn't have a permanent settlement due to their way of living. As seasons changed, they needed to move from one place to another, bringing their herds, tents, and families to look for a suitable area where they could raise their herds and do trading. 

During the winter season, they will leave the grassland as it becomes unsuitable to raise animals. They then moved to a place with a moderate climate. And will just come back to the grassland during spring and summer or early autumn. This culture was known as "Nabo".

Showcasing the Nabo culture of the people in the gransslands

Showcasing the Nabo culture of the people in the grasslands

The Legend of Xiao Chou accurately depicted this nomadic culture (Nabo) of the people in the grasslands, showcasing the "exodus" of the tribe to look for a favorable place for their herds and where they could place their tents without the threat of harsh weather. 

Lovely wildflowers in the grassland/prairie

Breathtaking view of the prairie

The Legend of Xiao Chou perfectly captured the breathtaking view of the prairies and the grassland as a whole - the relaxing mountains, the wildflowers, the steppe, the herds of cows and horses, and the lifestyle of the Khitans as expert archers and horseback riders.

I watched The Long Ballad in 2021, which also essayed the grassland life of the nomadic royalty during the Tang dynasty - the Khaganate (House of Ashina) but it was not as detailed as the Legend of Xiao Chou.

The Khitan people in the Legend of Xiao Chou

Jing Chao plays Mingyi and Tang Yan as Xiao Yanyan

First Impression of the Legend of Xiao Chou

My first impression of the Legend of Xiao Chou is mixed. I like the costume design, I guess the production successfully captured the lifestyle of the Khitans, the accessories, the costumes, the tents, the horseback riding, the combat skills, and the beautiful landscape of the grasslands, among others, but it lacked clear logic.

Charmaine Sheh as Hunian, Lu Shan as Wuguli, and Tang Yan as Yanyan

The two sisters - Xiao Yanyan (Tiffany Tang) and Xiao Wuguli (Lu Shan) - can be irritating sometimes as they make irresponsible and careless decisions that often put their father's, Prime Minister Xiao Siwen (played by Liu Yijun), safety and job into jeopardy, courting danger from the paranoid emperor, Jing of Liao (played by Li Ning). 

Just how many times their father was put in grave danger because of their carelessness? Xiao Yanyan in the first eight episodes makes my blood boil in annoyance lol! She was prone to making stupid actions without thinking of the repercussions.

Liu Yijun as Xiao Siwei

Li Ning plays the eccentric Jing emperor of the Liao dynasty

The eldest sister, Xiao Hunian (Charmaine Sheh), was at first a responsible sister who made sure her two siblings were safe and well taken care of, however, later, she would evolve into a selfish and cold human being and become estranged from her sisters as their respective husbands compete for the Liao throne. 

I also find it disturbing that Emperor Jing (played by Li Ning), despite being criminally insane, continued to rule the Khitan empire and the palace ministers did not bother to set up a regency.

Why there was no regent? He was clearly mentally unstable, incapable of exercising his role and making lucid decisions due to his paranoia but then the palace ministers just turned deaf. 

Li Ning as Emperor Jing of Liao

So the empire became paralyzed by his insanity as people and ministers lived in fear. He was criminally insane he regularly made a killing rampage to his hapless servants and court ministers as if they were just cockroaches.

In royal history, monarchs who went bonkers were put into seclusion, and the kingdom would be placed in the regency, just like in the case of King George III of Britain, to protect the interest of the nation and the people. 

Charmaine Sheh as Hunian and Tan Kai as Yelu Yanchege

Lu Shan as Wuguli and Ji Chen as Yelu Xiyin

But his lunatic behavior became a major turning point as it ushered the story to move forward. So as the episodes dragged on, I got rid of my misgivings and began to appreciate this drama. I also love Tang Yan's acting here which I find better than in the Princess Wei Young. Shawn Dou as always, is a good actor. 

The Legend of Xiao Chou is basically a palace drama, something that we don't see anymore in C-Drama or K-Drama due to the current trend of romance-centric costume series. 

This drama talks about the turbulent period of warring kingdoms, where power struggles between relatives competing for the throne dominate the landscape of court politics. In-betweens are painful sacrifices of personalities who need to choose between love and duty. 

Yanyan and Han Derang

Xiao Yanyan, innocent but steadfast, found herself thrown into the political chaos. And just like princesses in ancient kingdoms who were used as vassals to heal political conflicts through arranged marriages, Yanyan was seen as the strength to support a weak and sickly emperor to lead a vulnerable nation to greatness. She was seen as a symbol of uniting a deeply divided empire.

She was in love with Han Derang (played by Shawn Dou), a Han general who pledged his loyalty to his childhood friend, Mingyi (played by Jing Chao), whom he helped secure the Liao throne. But Mingyi betrayed him by taking Yanyan as his wife. Because Yanyan is the only one left in the imperial blood to suitably marry an emperor and secure the succession in his line. Mingyi also saw her as someone who could help him lead a vulnerable nation due to her steadfastness and vision to reform the empire.

Tang Yan as Xiao Yanyan and Shawn Dou as Han Derang

Xiao Siwei (played by Liu Yijun), Yanyan's father and  Liao's prime minister, was plunged into a dilemma, as he needed to balance his role as a father and as Liao's highest-ranking official responsible for the stability of the empire. In the end, he chose duty over personal matters and persuaded Yanyan to marry the emperor for the sake of the nation and the people.  

I find this plot development logical because historically, most unstable monarchies in the past, prone to threats and destabilization from volatile subjects and political rivals, always chose duty over love. 

For royals who have ceremonial duties to fulfill, the interest of the nation always comes first, it does not matter what's next. 

I still remember the advice that Lord Mountbatten gave to his nephew (in the late 1970s), who is now King Charles III: "Love is not an option for the man who would be King of the United Kingdom". And Queen Victoria's advice to her children when making decisions in marriage: "Just close your eyes and think of England". Because monarchs are not like us who are free to choose whoever we like, they have duties to the nations to fulfill.

Shawn Dou as Han Derang and Tang Yan as Xiao Yanyan

The plot sounds similar to another heartbreaking costume drama, The Promise of Chang'an, starring Cheng Yi, but the Legend of Xiao Chou is a lot more interesting because Tiffany Tang is a better actress than Cheng Yi's co-star, Zhao Yingzi. 

Jing Chao as Mingyi/Emperor Jingzong and Tang Yan as Xiao Yanyan

Unlike The Promise of Chang'an, the Legend of Xiao Chou has a happy ending according to the plot of the drama (I'm still in episode 22 so I haven't seen it) because in the end.  Xiao Yanyan and Han Derang rekindle their love (since Emperor Jingzong/Mingyi was already dead) and end up together.

Anyway, I am still on episode 22 and it's still a long way to go. This drama has 48 episodes so let's see how the plot would evolve. 

But for the first 22 episodes, I find this drama absolutely interesting, better than other boring costume dramas recently. I love palace dramas, court politics, and royals competing for the thrones.

Tiffany Tang/Tang Yan

I love the exhilarating prairie/grassland scenes, the relaxing scenery of nature, and the unique culture of the Khitans, which I believe was accurately showcased in this drama, the court drama, and the dynamics of the three sisters. Their tense relationship later as their respective husbands compete for the throne. So this drama is best suited for me. 

I don't know where all those bad reviews and comments coming from? I find this drama enjoyable to watch. Perhaps, those people never understand historical palace dramas, they are just looking for romance. This is a palace-centered drama so never expect of regular lovey-dovey scenes.

Charmaine Sheh

Tiffany Tang

Lu Shan and Ji Chen

Other complaints I read online were all about the unrealistic casting. For instance, in the story, the three sisters - Yanyan, Hunian, and Wuguli, are said to be just young girls, barely into their 20s, but they were portrayed by older actresses. Tiffany Tang (Yanyan) was already 37 years old when this drama was filmed, Hongkong actress Charmaine Sheh (Hunian) was already 45, and Lu Shan was already 31. 

So the age discrepancies of the characters they portrayed onscreen were very obvious. Tang Yan's character is the youngest when in reality Lu Shan (Wuguli) is six years younger than Tang Yan. They could have chosen young girls to portray these roles. But perhaps, the production didn't want this to fall into an idol drama so they tapped veterans to play major roles.

Shawn Dou as Han Derang and Tang Yan as Xiao Yanyan in the Legend of Xiao Chou

Some drama fans also found Shawn Dou and Tiffany Tang have zero chemistry. But I find them enjoyable to watch. They already paired in 2019, in a modern romance drama as a couple, See You Again. Shawn Dou's acting as Han Derang is good! Anyway, I did not mind those negative comments because I find this drama enjoyable to watch.

Simon Lian as Yelu Zhimo

Simon Lian is handsome! He played Yelu Zhimo, the half-brother of Mingyi who fell in love with a palace maid, An Zhi. Simon Lian is a Taiwanese actor and singer, and a former bandmate of Riley Wang (who played Bai Shaosheng in Back From the Brink) in a Taiwanese boy group, SpeXial. 

So far I am loving this drama. So many things to learn from the interesting Khitan culture. You can watch it for free on Tencent/WeTV. All episodes are available even to viewers without a subscription. 

Follow this link if you cannot find it on the WeTV app: The Legend of Xiao Chou 

People do have different takes on dramas, perhaps because we have contrasting mindsets, preferences, cultural backgrounds, and definitions of entertainment. So there are dramas we find interesting but boring to others and vice versa.

So, you better check if The Legend of Xiao Chou is your thing because for me it is! So far I love what I'm seeing in this drama. 😄